earth, and behold the doings of the children of men upon this day. 24. For I shall command them to mark upon the posts of every door, with the seal of mercy, whether in places of public worship, or in private dwellings, where they find the people assembled together in sincerity of heart, truly supplicating my protection. And this I require to be sacredly kept, until, in my own power and wisdom, the time does come that I send forth a further word to the inhabitants of earth.

25. Also remember, all ye people, to keep my sacred Sabbaths Koly; profane them not with any kind of wickedness; nor the day I now require you to keep in special homage to Me your God.

26. This sacred word will strike with consternation many a heart, and break forth upon the inhabitants of earth, at an unexpected hour. Therefore, beware of my after-coming. Prepare, prepare yourselves to meet your God, as ye would, if ye knew tomorrow would close the scenes of your mortal existence.

27. Then, if in the order of my providence, you are still longer permitted to enjoy life in a terrestrial state, you will be able to honor Me, your God and Creator in so doing; or to leave the world, having made your peace with God, and all your fellow creatures. 28. Hear my requirement, saith the Lord, ye leading characters of every nation. When you receive this Sacred Roll of the word of your God, you are required to enter it upon your most sacred records, and let it be engraven on the table of your hearts, there to remain while passing through the remaining moments of your lives below.

29. I do not require that any should make a wasteful sacrifice of property; but let all be diligent with their hands, to work in some laudable pursuit, and let those who have more than a competency [of the necessaries of this life,] help their poor fellow mortals. In so doing, saith the Lord, you will lay up a treasure far more precious than gold or silver.

30. Let no one be rash, nor wild in their doings, in respect to temporal things; but let true wisdom and reason guide your steps; for I have given you way-marks, saith the Lord, by which you may safely steer if you will.

31. I would that man pursue his various employments, dealing justly with all his fellow creatures, and be willing to work with his own hands for his daily support; for idleness leadeth the soul directly away from its God; it is, in truth, the parent of misery.

32. Let rulers do their duty faithfully; rule in justice and equity, and suppress the haunts of infamy as much as possible. This is the command of your God.

33. I have furthermore, here commanded to be inserted in this Roll, a prophecy which, but a short time since, I sent my faithful servant, the prophet Isaiah, of whom ye read, with six archers, through four of whom he was to deliver a prophecy in Zion, the other two were to keep silent, until the time should be fulfilled. And now their time is come, and I have sent him forth, with the other two, to prophecy to the inhabitants of the earth; and I require that they should all be inserted at the end of this Roll.

34. But the Proclamation, which I wrote with my own hand ten months ago, and sent by my blessed Son, your Lord and Savior, to read for mortal hand to draft upon my Holy Mount, I require should be inserted at the beginning of this Roll.

CHAPTER XXXI.

OF HARMONY, PURITY AND INNOCENCE, AND THE TRUE ENJOYMENT OF THE TWO SEXES, IN THIS STATE. CLOSING OF THE ROLL.

19. Of the government of Christ's king- 40. Warnings against troubling the In

dom.

20. Of the subjects who compose it. 23. Of fighting against God.

strument who wrote this Roll.

42. Of sincerity while conversing upon

sacred subjects.

1. And again, saith the Lord, I now call upon you, O ye inhabitants of the earth, to hearken to my words, and understand the truth concerning that of which ye are, as yet, strangers.

2. You do not see how it is possible, for male and female to dwell in societies together and enjoy each other's association, and good and kind feelings, and still have nothing to do with sexual indulgences. This, in truth, to natural man, who is absorbed in the things of nature, seems to be impossible; a mystery that he cannot comprehend, or understand.

3. And truly it is, saith the Lord, by natural man, while living after the ordinary course of nature, incomprehensible.

4. For this power of associating together, as little harmless children who know no evil, in harmony, purity and innocence, is given, and can be found, only in the completed order of my creation, wherein old things are done away, and all things become new.

5. All selfishness, quarrels, contention, strife, inveterate feelings of animosity, and attitudes of hostility, are effects proceeding from

certain causes; and no body of people, [influenced by these causes,] can long dwell together in a united capacity, but that these effects, or consequences proceeding from these certain causes, will break them to pieces and scatter them asunder.

6. The cause of all those uncontrolled divisions of feeling emanates wholly from the region of darkness, where no true light, in its fullness, can ever shine; and that is the indulging and gratifying of one's own carnal, fallen, and corrupt nature of fleshly lust, that is always at war against the soul's best good and comfort.

7. And while fed by indulgence and gratification, it will never suffer souls to enjoy true harmony, love, union and innocence, so that they can associate in societies together, further than the bounds of natural private families extend; and even they, come far short of existing together in a state of peace and harmony.

8. The gratification and indulgence in fleshly works, whether confined to one's self, or in connection with others, is continually strengthening the root of this evil tree, which bears the forbidden fruit, and hath many branches, that are continually strengthened and supported from this root.

9. Therefore did the followers of my blessed Son, even in his first appearance, teach souls to lay the axe at the root [of the tree,] and destroy the cause, and the effect will cease, and the branches and limbs of this evil tree will die.

10. When this is done, saith the Lord, then souls are again redeemed unto Me, in a state of purity and innocence; and not until it is done, whether they be in time or in eternity, it maketh no difference further than this;

11. The more they indulge themselves while in time, in the gratification of these works, the greater are the guilt, condemnation and stains of sin and filthiness impressed upon their souls when entering eternity; and the greater must be their sufferings and tribulation to find their redemption.

12. For I created man, saith the Lord, in the beginning, pure and innocent; and when he is again redeemed unto Me, he will be pure and innocent; and the more sin he commits, after he is born into the world, the greater is the distance that he is carried from Me, his God and Creator; and consequently, the greater must be the length of his journey, in retracing his steps in sorrow and tribulation, again to find Me, his Creator God, in truth.

13. And this is rendering unto every one a just reward, accord

ing to their works; but mortals, when sinning against light and understanding, are rapidly hastening their souls at a great distance from Me, and from the purity of my kingdom.

14. But in the completed order of my new creation, now established on earth, male and female dwell together as brethren and sisters, not as husband and wife; for in this completed order, they can have nothing to do with those works belonging to the husband and wife dispensation; as that is wholly confined to the natural order, and not to the spiritual.

15. But that degree of comfort and true enjoyment which males and females take together, when living as brethren and sisters, in bonds of filial affection and gospel purity, is beyond any thing that can be enjoyed in a natural state. It is similar, saith the Lord, to that which two little children, brother and sister, who know no impurity or wickedness, take in their innocent plays together.

16. And for this very cause, did your Lord and Savior take little harmless and innocent children in his arms, and bless them; and told his disciples to suffer them to come unto him; for of such was the kingdom of Heaven.

17. This example of your Savior with little children, both in his first and second appearance, embraced the plainest and most striking figure that could be made use of, to show unto the people that state of true innocence, purity and harmlessness, that must be possessed by all such souls as would ever become true heirs of his kingdom.

18. But in order for souls to obtain a place in the completed order of my new creation, they must firstly confess their sins honestly, as before shown in this Roll; then give themselves up unto Me, as clay in the hands of the potter, to be led as little children, counseled and instructed through such visible agency as the influence of my Spirit, saith the Lord, hath appointed for that purpose; and to be admonished, in my holy fear, when found necessary.

19. All this is done by the influence and power of the spirit, without coercive measures; which measures I do not allow to be made use of, in my kingdom, save in the case of children, when all mild and persuasive means fail, I suffer them to be gently corrected with small rods; but never are they allowed to be abused, or cruelly treated, in any way, or meddled with by any one when under the least degree of excitement or passion.

20. This is briefly the law and order of my kingdom, now estab